Tuesday, July 25, 2017

This week was a great one. Elder Madrid and I worked hard and were able to help a few of our investigators progress and find some other investigators that seem to have a lot of interest in the gospel. Also, this week Dani was able to get baptized. It was truly great to see his desire to follow the Savior and enter into the waters of baptism. Another cool thing with him, is this week we were talking with him preparing him for his baptism, and he started asking us about a mission and what you need to do to go a mission. He told us that he has always wanted to serve the Lord in some way in his life, and after finding about the church he wants to serve a mission! That was awesome to hear. I am so pumped for him.

Something else that happened this week, is transfers. I found out that I will be leaving Cuidad Del Este and going to an area called Obligado in Encarnacion. I also have been called to train and be the district leader in Obligado. So Tuesday night I will be taking a long 10 hour bus ride or so, crossing the border into Argentina, picking up my new companion and then crossing the border again into Paraguay and heading to Encarnacion. Haha that's gonna be a fun one. It's gonna be crazy cause basically we will just be traveling for a whole day. I'm honestly a little nervous about training and all, but also super excited. I remember when I first got to the field and didn't know anything and my trainer was able to help me out. It'll be awesome to fire up my comp and get him excited about the work! I know it will be challenging but I know that Lord has called me to the work so everything will be ok.

On a last note, I want to share something about two of our investigators here in Rama 3. Maria who I talked about in my last letter and her "husband" Antonio. They have a long story with them but basically a long time ago they were living together, had a kid together, but then separated for a time. Now they are getting back together and Antonio comes to visit Maria every night but they live in separate houses. We found Maria one day looking for another investigator at her house and eventually started meeting with Antonio too. But a cool story with them is that we have been teaching them and they have expressed to us about problems they have had in the past, one of which is smoking and how they want to quit but never can quite do it. We shared with them about the Word of Wisdom and how God wants our bodies to be clean and that through the help of Jesus Christ we can overcome any of our weaknesses. They shared with us about how they know it's bad for them and that they will try to stop. I was able to share one of my favorite scriptures with them Ether 12:27. When we turn to the Lord for help and humble ourselves before Him, we can make our weak things become strong! I know that this is true, Jesus Christ is always calling us in to HIm. I know He lives. I hope you all had a great week, I want to thank you all for the support and love. It means a lot. Love you guys!

This week was so awesome! My other companion went home last Tuesday so this whole week I was working with the zone leaders in Esquel, Elder Toledo and Elder Bernal. It was so awesome working with them. They are truly powerful elders that have no fear and are guided by the Spirit. We set three baptismal dates this week and they came to church and are really excited to get baptized the 12th of August! Alejandro came to church to and is changing so much! I literally just wanted to sprint up to him and give him the biggest hug! He has such a true desire to change and is so humble. We have been talking to literally everyone in the street and working like crazy.

Transfers happened yesterday and Elder Toledo got transferred to literally the other side of the mission as a zone leader and I was made the new zone leader here in Esquel with Elder Bernal! I'm so excited! He's a beast and we are gonna work miracles together. We are gonna work like crazy and baptize! My mission President told me that this was an inspired transfer and that the Lord is preparing me to be a leader in the mission and for the rest of my life. It's so awesome to know that he's behind me, helping me to become the person that he wants me to be and to help others do the same. I love the mission. There's nothing I'd rather be doing. I know God is real. I know Jesus Christ is also real and that He came to the world and suffered so that we could all reach our infinite potential. I love you and miss you all! Till next week!

Thursday, July 20, 2017

It was good to from you all this week! I'm glad your all doing well. Sorry I wasn't able to send a letter last week due to the president coming to Cuidad Del Este and having interviews with him. But mom don't worry I am still alive! Haha just couldn't write for one week that's all!

Well, this week was a good one, and my companion and I were able to see some fruits of our work. We have been working really hard this week teaching, contacting, trying to have lessons with members, and just overall working so that this Sunday we could have people show up at church! Me and my companion have really just been thinking, praying and pondering, how can we get these people to come to church! This week I was reading in 2 Nephi 33:3, "But I Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry."

This scripture really changed my perspective on missionary work and about the love Nephi really had for these people and for their salvation. I have been able to feel a love for these people more and more as I have forgotten myself and just gone out to work for them. It really motivated me this week. This Saturday we were really praying that a two of our progressing investigators would come to church this week. One of them is Dani who has a baptismal date for next Saturday. The whole week we couldn't visit with him because of all the work and school he had to do, but if he wanted to get baptized the following week he needed to come church. We couldn't even call him on the phone this week because his phone didn't work. But my companion and I had the faith and prayed that he would be there. Sunday morning my companion and I got ready for church and started walking to church early so that we could ask a member to help us bring some investigators to church with them. On the way to church about half way there... here comes Dani walking to church all by himself. We met him halfway and walked with him the rest of the way. At church we were able to talk to him and see how his week went and see if he really was committed to being baptized the following Saturday. He said yes and explained to us how he really has been seeking for the truth and wants to be baptized on Saturday. Ahhh this was an awesome experience. I know Heavenly Father was listening to our prayers. It's experiences like this that make the mission so special. I am just so happy for Dani and his decision to follow Christ. I know that Heavenly Father really does listen to our prayers. And if we are patient, the answers will always come. I love this work!

Elder Reilly

The service project we did for an investigator cutting down banana trees with machetes and the Fourth of July party

*Trent didn't send a main email this week! Sounds like a bit of a rough week...but here parts of his mom's and dad's emails!

Mom! I love you and miss you so much. I think I actually miss the old nagging haha and the three calls every day when I was at BYU. Haha mom I really appreciate everything you did for me back home. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize how awesome of a mom you really are. I'm gonna give you the biggest hug when I get back! Love you! Everything is going great. My new comp is having a really hard time. He struggles with depression and he has been suffering a ton this week. I tried to do everything I could to help him and to get him to see his potential and serve him, but he said that he needs to go home. So he is gonna go home this week and I'll get another companion. Yes he's American and he can't speak spanish at all haha so I had to do everything this week. But we worked hard and we found like 10 new investigators this week. I love it here mom and it is very hard, the hardest thing I've ever done, but it is so fulfilling and great to be able to forget myself and help others come unto Christ. Love you mom! Till next week!

Dad's letter is similar but here's an excerpt..."We're outside and it's seriously freezing. Like you don't know this cold Dad...haha it's crazy! So it was hard to really hard to have excitement this week, but I'm glad I got this opportunity to work with Elder Lee. He taught me even more about the importance of the Spirit. Man when he just opens his mouth and testifies the Spirit just comes even though what he's saying has a ton of errors and stuff. It was awesome. I just gotta keep exercising my faith and listening and depending on the Spirit I will never stop working. I'll never get complacent."

Saturday, July 15, 2017

This week was really crazy. We went to Neuquen again for three days and got back on Friday. The Mission President called me on Thursday afternoon and told me that he needed a favor from me. He said that one of the Elders in my zone was having a really hard time on the mission and that he couldn't speak the language at all and that he wanted me to be his companion... the next day. Haha so that's what happened. I was feeling kind of frustrated and scared with the task before me, because I had finally got a companion that was one of my best friends, and now I gotta do an emergency transfer and switch. So I was praying really hard so that me and my new companion could just have an awesome first day so that he could be excited to work and not so down on himself. The Lord definitely blessed us. We were able to set three baptismal dates for the 22 of July with Alejandro, Marianela, and Jonathan. Haha wow, what an answer to a prayer! Haha it's so good to know that Lord has my back. And I'm so glad that He has helped me with this language so that I now have the opportunity to help another. Pray for those investigators so they can get baptized on that date! I love being able to help others come unto Christ. Love you and miss you all. Till next week. Thank you for the prayers and emails!

Thursday, July 6, 2017

First off, I would like to say Happy Birthday to the best mother in the world. Honestly, if I didnt have Tori as my mother I probably wouldn't be out here. Thank you so much mom for always loving and serving me and teaching me responsibility. And thanks for packing my bags for me 6 months ago haha! I love you and miss you!

Also Happy Late Birthday Sid! Thank you for the great example for what a great missionary should be. I try every day to work my butt off and whenever I'm tired I just picture in my mind you riding your bike in Indonesia leaning over and throwing up without even stopping. I got it easy! Love you and miss you too.

This week was pretty interesting. We had to go to Neuquen because my comp had to do tramites. That's a 12 hour bus ride there and 12 hours right back haha. But the funny thing is that in the buses there's always movies playing and our mission president says we can watch them because they're playing out loud in front of your face haha. But one of the movies that came on was Mulan! Never thought I'd watch that movie in Argentina on the mission. It was classic.

When we returned, we felt impressed to immediately visit one of our investigators Alejandro. He has a really bad addiction to alcohol and cigarettes. We went to his house and he was surprisingly sober and he just had a completely different look about him. He finally realized how big his problem was and that he needed to change. He truly had a broken heart and a contrite spirit. You could see the humility in his eyes. So we had a great lesson with him. We testified of the Atonement of Christ and how it has the power to change him. It was so special to be able to see a spark of hope in his eyes. Finally he wasn't under the influence of alcohol or tobacco and he could feel the Spirit clearly and strongly. We invited him to be baptized and he accepted. We shared 1 Nephi 3:7 with him and told him that the Lord will provide a way for him to be able to overcome his addiction and follow the commandments. It was just an awesome experience. I can just picture this man completely changed and healed by the Atonement rising up and becoming a leader in the church. I can already see him in his suit and tie bearing his testimony of the healing power of Christ. Man, things like that are the reason I'm out here. If I can labor every single day and only be able to help one man like this change and become better, then every single day of work was worth it. I know the Atonement of Christ is real. In it there is power to change if we are humble and give everything we have to Christ. I know it because it has changed me.

I love you and miss you all and I hope all is well. Thank you for the love and prayers. Till next week.

First off, I just want to say Happy Birthday Mom! I am so lucky to have the best mom in the world as my mom. I hope you have a great day mom! Also, happy fourth to all you Americans out there!

This week was a little slow but a good one. We had some really good spiritual lessons. One of those was with our investigator Dani. This week we were talking with him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We explained to him about about how the same authority that Jesus Christ had to do miracles and form his church is on the Earth today. That authority has been restored to the Earth through prophets. Today in our day we have that same authority and can trace it all the way back to Jesus Christ! It was an awesome lesson and the Spirit was definitely there. We were able to put a baptisimal date with him for the 22nd of this month. I am super pumped for him and to help him prepare for his baptism.

Something cool that happened today for Pday. For 4th of July tomorrow our zone and another zone planned a 4th of July party. We cooked hamburgers, and the hermanas cooked brownies, cookies, banana bread, and even cheesecake! Haha it was pretty crazy how they managed to cook all of that haha. The zone leaders also managed to find root beer and we had root bear floats. Haha I havent had American food like that in a while so that was pretty nice. Also I had to keep the Reilly tradition alive...so me and another Elder had a little watermelon eating contest after. Haha that was the most food Ive eaten in a long time... That was super fun though and cool to celebrate 4th of July here in Paraguay.

To end off I just want to say that I love this work and the opportunity I have to share the gospel with the people here in Paraguay. I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored on the Earth today! I love you all. Have a great 4th of July!

Elder Reilly

Sorry But I will have to send the pictures next week cause I forgot my adapter...